The Open is over.... now what?

The Open is over ( for a few weeks now ) and for most people that consisted of some exhilarating highs, some frustrating lows and a lot of hard work. Now is the perfect time to evaluate your experience and plan your training accordingly. I want to challenge you to look at your own personal experience through one of two lenses. Did you compete in the open or did you participate? Both are great ways to be involved and what you want out of your training will dictate if you were a competitor or participant not your skill or fitness level. We will look first at the participant.

Most people will not want to lump themselves into this category but this is where most people will be the happiest. For our purposes today we will define the participant as someone who participates in a well rounded GPP program 3-5 times a week and uses the open to push themselves and enjoy the amazing sense of community that comes with intensity shared with friends. With these things in mind the Open should be a very positive experience. The focus should be on effort, longevity and enjoyment of training. Training should be done when you can with what you have access to and shouldn't be hard on your body. As far as where to go now, stay the course! Keep showing up to your 3-5 classes a week, make them the best hour of your day and reap the health benefits that will come with it.

Now the competitor ( or future competitor ). There are some distinct differences between the competitor and the participant. The competitors goals should be to identify weaknesses and do what it takes in order to improve them. There is a lot of sacrifice needed to compete whether that is in your gym, a small local comp or a worldwide event. The end result will look very different based on the competitor but the focus is the same for all. A competitor needs to make use of all the tools at their disposal to improve including training equipment ( specific shoes/gear ), training time ( anywhere from 2-4 hours ) and specific training. Training should be prioritized in your schedule with equipment that you will be tested on and will be hard on your body. If your aim is to improve your scores across the board and don't participate in a program that focuses on your weak points you are a participant and not a competitor .

Think about if you were a competitor or a participant in the Open this year. Also think about whether you want to participate or compete next year. Some people might need to change their training in order to start competing. There is a larger group that should change their training to start participating. Both are great options and you should be doing the one that makes you the happiest.

If you need help getting a specified program to participate or compete reach out, we'd love to work with you.